The Bellamy Brothers are an American pop and country music duo composed of brothers David Milton Bellamy (born September 16, 1950[1]) and Homer Howard Bellamy (born February 2, 1946[1]), both from Darby, Florida, United States.[1] The duo had considerable musical success in the 1970s and 1980s, starting with the release of their crossover hit "Let Your Love Flow" in 1976, a Number One single on the Billboard Hot 100.[2]
Starting in the late 1970s, the Bellamy Brothers found success in country music as well, charting twenty Number One singles and more than fifty hits overall on the country charts. To date, they have released more than fifty albums, primarily on Curb Records.
History
David and Howard Bellamy were inspired by many musical sources from an early age. Their father played country music around the house, and was also a member of a local Western swing band; in addition, they were inspired by the rock and roll music their sister played, as well as the calypso music sung by Jamaican harvesters working in the family orange groves.[2][3] Despite having never had formal music training, both brothers learned how to play guitar, mandolin, and banjo. In addition, David learned accordion, fiddle, organ, and piano.[2]
Their first musical gig was in 1968 at a benefit concert with their father in San Antonio, Florida at the Rattlesnake Roundup.[3][4] Soon after, the brothers moved to Atlanta, Georgia and formed a band called Jericho.[2] However, playing in bands and clubs proved tiresome for the brothers, who soon moved back home.[2]
The brothers were soon noticed by a friend of recording artist Jim Stafford, who eventually recorded "Spiders and Snakes", a tune written by David. "Spiders and Snakes" went on to become a Top 5 hit, providing the Bellamys with the money to move to Los Angeles, California.[3][2] Howard became a road manager for Stafford; Stafford's previous road manager, Leo Gallagher, later gained fame as a comedian.[3]
1970s
The duo signed to Curb Records in 1975. A single featuring only David, "Nothin' Heavy", was unsuccessful. However, at the suggestion of Neil Diamond's drummer Dennis St. John, the brothers recorded and released the single "Let Your Love Flow", written by Diamond's roadie Larry Williams .[5] Released in 1976, "Let Your Love Flow" was a No. 1 single on the United States pop charts, as well as more than a dozen countries worldwide.[6]
Although "Let Your Love Flow" was also a hit on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, the Bellamys' country music success was limited until 1979, when "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" was released. The song, whose double entendre title was derived from a Groucho Marx quote[7], landed the Bellamys their first country music No. 1 in the United States. It was first played on radio in the United Kingdom in Northern Ireland before becoming "Song of the Year" for all of the U.K. in 1979.[8]
1980s and 1990s
After the success of "If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body," the brothers continued with a run of country hits, including tunes such as the fun-loving "Redneck Girl"; serious ballads like "Santa Fe" and the insightful social commentary pieces, "Old Hippie" and "Kids of the Baby Boom."[2] Billboard named the Bellamy Brothers as Top Country Duo[2]and they eventually went on to set the record for most duo nominations from both Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association. [9]
In 1991, the Bellamys switched to Atlantic Records. Their tenure there produced one album before the duo formed its own label, a first in country music.[10] Although they were still recording albums, their singles struggled to achieve the success of their previous hits[2], and by 1999 they had switched to Blue Hat Records for their Lonely Planet album.
2000s
In 2005, the Bellamys returned to Curb Records to record Angels & Outlaws, Volume 1, a compilation album featuring re-recordings of the duo's older hits with additional artists, including Dolly Parton, George Jones, Alan Jackson, Tanya Tucker, and Montgomery Gentry.[11] A re-recorded version of "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body", featuring Dolly Parton, spent one week at #60 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 2005.
The Bellamy's most recent studio project was an album of gospel music, titled Jesus Is Coming, released on May 8, 2007.[12] Its title track was previously recorded on Native American in 1995.
In 2008, the song "Let Your Love Flow" was used in the Barclaycard advert for their new contactless cards. The song re-entered the UK singles chart at #48 based on downloads and peaked at #21 in the pop charts in March 2009[13] and was listed on BMI’s list of Top 100 Song of the Century at #68 that same year. [14] A cover by Petra Haden was used in a 2010 Toyota Prius commercial.
The Anthology, Vol. 1. was released in 2009 and includes the single "Guilty of the Crime," which is a collaboration with the Bacon Brothers. The video features Shannen Doherty of Beverly Hills 90210 fame. [15] Both sets of brothers performed the song together on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn. on Sept. 1, 2009.
Jesse and Noah
In the late 1990s, David's sons, Noah and Jesse, became active in the music scene. In 1998, they formed a group called Burning Sky. The group released a video that year for their single "It Weeps In My Heart" which was featured on CMT. [16] They currently perform as the duo Jesse and Noah, which has found success in the state of Texas. Their single "Daddy's Got A Shotgun" made it on the Texas Music Chart's Top 50 of 2006. [17]
Discography
References
External links
